A well recognized problem with transporting groceries and the like in the cargo bed of a pick-up truck is that such items if left unrestrained can slide around, spill out, and crash into each other and/or the walls of the pick-up truck cargo bed. As a result, groceries and/or other items can become scattered around in the pick-up truck cargo bed, and can be damaged as the items roll around crashing into each other and/or the walls of the cargo bed.
Ropes, bungie cords, cargo nets and the like have been used in an attempt to restrain articles such as groceries to prevent damage during transport in a pick-up truck cargo bed.
However, the use of these types of restraints has not been well accepted by pick-up truck owners and drivers because ropes, cords and nets are relatively difficult to use and are not always effective. Further, these types of devices are unpopular with many pick-up truck owners because they typically require drilling holes into the walls of the pick-up truck cargo bed or otherwise modifying the cargo bed in a manner that may permanently alter the appearance of the vehicle.
A more popular solution to the problem of preventing groceries and the like from moving around in a pick-up truck cargo bed has been to provide partitions that divide the cargo bed into two or more compartments generally with at least one of the compartments being relatively small (e.g., comparable to the dimensions of an automobile trunk) so that shifting of articles transported in the cargo bed is constrained to the dimensions of the compartment. The use of such partitions to provide compartmentalization of the cargo bed has proven effective at eliminating or at least significantly reducing spillage, scattering and damage to groceries and other like articles. However, many of the proposed pick-up truck cargo bed partitioning systems have other disadvantages when the pick-up truck is not being used for transporting groceries or the like. A first disadvantage with many of the known pick-up truck cargo bed partitioning systems is that they are permanently mounted to the pick-up truck bed with fasteners such as bolts or the like. In many cases these partition systems can only be removed with tools and with considerable effort. Such systems are undesirable because they severely detract from the utility and appearance of the vehicle when they are installed. In many cases, if one wishes to use the full length of the pick-up truck cargo bed, the partitioning system must be removed and stored at a secure location, usually in the pick-up truck owners garage. Thereafter, the pick-up truck owner must remember to reinstall the partition system before transporting groceries or the like. This is a considerable inconvenience. Additionally, the pick-up truck owner must reserve storage space, such as in a garage, for the partition system when it is not being used. Another disadvantage is that even when certain known partitioning systems are removed from the cargo bed, mounting brackets installed into the cargo bed such as by welding or riveting remain. Many pick-up truck owners regard such mounting brackets as undesirable because they impair the appearance of the vehicle and permanently alter or scar the vehicle.
Another proposed solution to the problem of restraining articles, such as groceries, with a partitioning system has been to provide a prefabricated, molded plastic pick-up truck bed liner with an integral partitioning system including a partition that is hinged to the floor of the bed liner so that it folds flat against the floor when it is not in use. This system has many advantages over other systems that must be removed to use the full available area of the cargo bed. However, there are some pick-up truck owners that prefer not to have a molded liner, often because molded liners that are dropped into the cargo bed and secured thereto are known to trap moisture between the metal floor of the pick-up truck bed and the plastic liner, accelerating deterioration due to moisture induced oxidation. Also, spray-in pick-up truck cargo bed liners are becoming increasingly popular because they have a better appearance and because they are intimately bonded to the steel floor and walls of the pick-up truck cargo bed, such that moisture cannot collect between the metal floor and liner or between the metal walls and liner. However, the known spray-in pick-up truck cargo bed liners do not include a integral partitioning system, nor is it obvious how an integral partitioning system may be incorporated into a spray-in liner.
Another proposed solution to the problem of providing a pick-up truck cargo bed partition system is a portable divider device including an elongated support plate that conforms to the configuration of wheel wells projecting into the truck bed, and a baffle plate that is mounted perpendicularly on the plate. The baffle is mounted onto the support plate by an interlocking peg and hole connection arrangement. A disadvantage is that when it is desired to use the entire area of the cargo bed, the baffle must be lifted out away from the support plate, and must be stored either at a secure location, such as in the pick-up truck owner's garage, or in the pick-up truck bed where it at least partially interferes with the ability to fully utilize all of the space in the pick-up truck cargo bed. Another problem with this partition system is that it is difficult to install and remove the baffle when a tonneau cover is installed, because the baffle must be lifted straight up from the support plate to lift the pegs of the baffle out of the holes in the support plate.